Casket handle



March 28, 1939. a F. JOHNSON CASKET HANDLE v hets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 1, 1938 INVENTOR BEN F. JOHNSON ATTORNEY March 28, 1939.

B. F. JOHNSON 2,152,483

CASKET HANDLE Filed Nov. 1, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet, 2

INVENTOR BEN F. JOHN5ON ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CASKET HANDLE.

Application November 1, 1938, Serial No. 238,129

10 Claims.

This invention relates to handles for caskets, and more particularly to handles which may be. formed from thin sheet metal into ornamental designs and readily attached to caskets in a simple and expeditious manner.

Because of the sentiment involved caskets are today largely sold on the basis of their appearance. One purchasing a casket to receive the remains of a loved one naturally desires that it shall be somewhat in the nature of a memorial, and because of this great discrimination is exercised in its choice. Funeral directors sensitive to the delicacy of the situation are, therefore, naturally anxious to have available caskets which combine dignity with beauty.

To meet the requirements of the situation casket manufacturers have been very active in developing various means of manufacturing caskets so as to be able to produce caskets which are attractive and which can be sold at a price within the means of the great mass of people. As a result of this development caskets formed from sheet metal have largely displaced wooden caskets, because they can be made in many attractive designs at a reasonable cost.

One of the problems involved in manufacturing caskets which are attractive, and which conform to modern trends in art, relates to the handles by which the casket is lifted. Heretofore the handles have principally consisted of one or more bars either rigidly or pivotally attached to brackets secured to the side and end walls of the casket body. This type of handle has in mos-t cases failed to harmonize or produce the desired symmetry with the design of the base and cover members of the casket. The base and cover members being formed, according to modern practice, from sheet metal can readily embrace many ornamental designs, with the contour lines being predominately longitudinal in direction, partly due to the shape of the casket itself and partly due to the need for keeping the casket dimensions to a reasonable minimum. On the other hand the contour lines of the commonly employed handles are in various directions, and somewhat in disconformity with those of the base and cover members.

With the foregoing elements of the problem involved in mind, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide improved handles for caskets which can readily and economically be manufactured in ornamental designs which greatlyimprove the general appearance of the casket.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved casket handles which can be made in ornamental shapes from sheet metal, and thereby present a more harmonious appearance on caskets also formed from sheet metal.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved casket handle which can be formed from sheet metal in-to ornamental designs possessing great strength, and which thereby can readily be kept within the normal limiting dimensions of the casket body proper. This feature of the invention insures that in cases where caskets are to be deposited in vaults the vault space will not be increased because of the handles.

Further objects of the invention relate to details of construction and these can best be understood from the detailed description of several forms which the invention may take, as illustrated in the attached drawings, where,

Fig. 1 shows in perspective a casket fitted with an improved continuous-type handle embodying features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary but enlarged view showing in elevation one ornamental form which the exposed contour of the handle of Fig. 1 may assume.

Fig. 3 is a view taken along the line 33 of 2 Fig. 1 showing in section a preferred shape which the handle may assume in a transverse direction.

Fig. 4 illustrates in the manner of Fig. 3 another shape which the handle may assume in a transverse direction.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate in detail and perspective a short type of handle embodying features of the invention.

Figs. '7 and 8 illustrate a manner in which a handle embodying features of the invention may be combined with corner pieces attached to a casket to produce a desired ornamental efiect.

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 show in elevation and detail another form which the invention may take, in which the handle is of the short type and is pivotally attached to the casket side walls.

Referring now first to Figs. 1 to 3, there is shown a casket having side walls 20 and end walls 2| merging at the bottom in a base member 22 and at the top in a flange 23. A cover 24 is shaped to close the casket by engagement with the flange 23. The base member 22 and the cover 24 have for simplicity been shown as a plain design but these could obviously be made with whatever ornamental configuration is desired.

Extending circumferentially of the casket in a longitudinal direction, and attached thereto, is a handle 25 embodying features of the invention. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the exposed or vertical face 26 of the handle may be formed with any design contour desired to harmonize with the general design characteristic of the casket proper. As will be obvious from the drawings, the handle is formed from sheet metal, the vertical face 26 being shaped by rollers, dies or by any suitable process. In practice, I prefer to form the design on the vertical face 26 with rollers in the manner well known in the sheet metal art.

The vertical face 26 terminates at its bottom edge in an inwardly turned portion forming a hand grip 21. As will be observed, the sheet metal is turned inwardly on a radius, thus forming in effect a bar or rod integral with the vertical face 26. This not only provides a ready hand grip but adds great strength to the handle.

At its upper edge the vertical face 26 merges with another inwardly turned portion 28 forming roughly a three-quarter circle. This portion adds further strength to the handle and at the same time presents a pleasing appearance to the upper and mostly seen edge of the handle. The portion 28 is integral with a bracket or supporting member 29, which is the portion of the handle to be attached to the end and side walls of the casket. The means of attachment can be by bolting, riveting, welding, etc., the bolt and nut assembly 3|] being illustrated as a convenient and preferred arrangement.

As will be evident, the entire handle 25 may be formed from a single rectangular sheet of metal, the parts 26, 21, 28 and 29 being coextensive in longitudinal dimension. Of course, the handle could first be formed of several sections and these welded end to end, if desired. For strength steel is preferred but obviously other metals can beused. In practice I have found that handles formed as illustrated from 3 2" thick steel possess the required strength and are readily bent or rolled to the desired shape.

A particular feature of the invention is that since the entire handle is formed from thin sheet metal the vertical face 26 need be spaced from the end and side walls of the casket a short distance only, as for example two inches, and yet will provide ample room for the fingers of the hand to pass under and up around the hand grip 21. The handle can thus be kept well within the dimensions of the casket as established by the base and cover members. If desired, hand holes could be made in the vertical face 26 at intervals just above the hand grip 21, but these are not essential to the invention.

Although it may not be wholly necessary in all cases, reinforcing brackets 3| may be disposed between and welded or otherwise attached to the inside of the vertical face 26 and to the outer face of the bracket or supporting member 29, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3. These brackets need only be sheet metal strips, say 1" wide, bent into a U shape and disposed at spaced points between the portions 26 and 29.

When the casket is to be lifted by the handle, the palm of the hand is placed against the vertical face 26 and the fingers turned inwardly and up around the hand grip portion 21. When the handle is gripped in this manner the casket is most easily lifted, and due to the shape of the handle the carrier is less fatigued. As will be appreciated, the handle can be gripped at any place throughout its length.

Referring now to Fig. 4, there is shown in section another shape which the handle may take. The vertical face 26' terminates at the top in border portion 28', and at the bottom in hand 'grip21'. The hand grip is integral with the supporting member or portion 29' which reverses upon itself as shown at 33, the reversing portion 33 being the part attached to the casket wall 20. Like the handle of Fig. 3 that of Fig. 4 may be attached to the casket wall 20 by a bolt and nut assembly 30'. Brackets 3| may be employed if desired. It will be evident without further description that the handle of Fig. 4 possesses advantages similar to that of Fig. 3.

Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6, handles 35 and 36, having a cross section like that of either Fig. 3 or Fig. 4, are shown as attached respectively to the end and side walls of the casket 31, and the end of each handle terminates or is housed in ornamented end brackets 38. These end brackets are preferably bolted by bolts or screws 39 to the end and side walls of the casket. While the end brackets can be made from different metals I prefer die castings, slush castings, or other similar castings.

As best shown in Fig. 5, each end bracket is recessed at 40 to receive an end of the handle. Thus each handle extends only part way of the length of an end or side wall and for this reason this arrangement is often referred to as a short handle arrangement. Reenforcing brackets like those shown at 3| in Fig. 3 or at 3| in Fig. 4 may be employed if found desirable.

Considering now Figs. 7 and 8, there is shown a casket 4| having corner pieces 42, usually made of but not limited to castings. They are often included in a casket design to produce a particular ornamental effect. While one simple design has been illustrated it is to be understood that it is intended to be representative of corner pieces in general.

Attached to the casket 4| in the manner heretofore described are handles 43 and 44 embodying features of the invention. The handle 43 attached to the side wall of the casket extends from the corner piece at one end to the corner piece at the other end of the casket. The handle 44 attached to the casket end wall similarly extends between the corner pieces at the one end of the casket. As before, the section of the handle may be like that of Fig. 3 or that of Fig. 4, and either brackets 3| or 3| may be employed.

In Figs. 9 to 11, inclusive, I have shown handles of the short type arranged to swing out from the bottom. This arrangement is particularly advantageous for caskets having a very limited overhang of both the base and cover members. In such instances it is desirable to locate the lifting handles quite close to the casket walls so as to not increase the over all dimensions of the casket. To provide the necessary finger room between the inside of the handle and the adjacent casket wall the handle is pivoted so that the bottom may be swung out.

Referring particularly to Figs.9 and 10,a handle 46 of the short type is formed with a vertical face 41 terminating at its top in a border portion 48 reversed upon itself for a short distance, as shown, and at its bottom in a hand grip 49 like that before described. Secured to the back side of the handle 46 at spaced points are several relatively small brackets 50 pivoted by pins 53 to other coacting brackets 5| attached to the adjacent casket wall. The brackets 50 and 5| are preferably welded to the handle 46 and casket wall 52, respectively, although any other form of attachment may be employed.

Each end of the handle 46 enters an end bracket 54 suitably attached to the casket wall. Each bracket is recessed at 55 to receive the handle end, and each recess has an outwardly inclined wall 56 against which the lower edge of the adjacent end of the handle may be swung.

Extending between each pair of end brackets 54 and above the handle 46 is a guard or stop member 58. This member may be bolted to the casket wall by bolts or screws 59 at convenient points throughout its length. Near the outer and under edge of this member is a downwardly extending stop recess 60 into which the top or border portion 48 of the handle 46 extends. The overall dimension of the end brackets outwardly of the casket wall, as particularly seen in Fig. 10, is made equal to or less than the corresponding dimension of the base or cover members.

As shown in Fig. 10, the handle 46 is in its normal position. When the casket is to be lifted the handle is preferably swung about the pivot pins 53 so that the top border portion 48 strikes the inside wall of the recess 60 and the lower edge or hand grip 49 strikes the wall 56 of each end bracket. The handle is then gripped in the manner heretofore described for lifting the casket. Thus more finger room is obtained for lifting, but when the casket is installed in the burial vault the handles assume their normal positions and do not increase the vault space required.

In the forms of the invention illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7, it will be apparent that the end brackets and corner pieces form good strong supports for the ends of the handles. It is preferable that the portion of the end bracket or corner piece which overlies an end of a handle be shaped to fit the contour of the handle so as to provide a neat appearance. In some cases the end brackets and corner pieces may, without changing the design of the handle proper, form the entire support for the handle, and thus bolting of the mounting or supporting portion of the handles to the side or end walls of the casket will not be required. In such cases the mounting portion serves principally as a spacing means and to improve appearance.

From the foregoing description of several forms which my invention may assume, it will be apparent that I have developed a handle which is a departure from the type heretofore customarily employed, and which offers advantages from both the appearance and manufacturing viewpoints not capable of attainment in conventional handles. It is not my intention to be limited to the precise details shown but the invention is more aptly set forth in the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. A casket handle formed entirely from thin sheet metal and having joined together an exposed face portion adapted to be formed into an ornamental design, a hand grip portion at the bottom of the exposed face portion and extending the full length of the exposed face portion, and a mounting or supporting portion extending rearwardly of the exposed face portion for the full length thereof and terminating in a portion substantially parallel to and spaced from the exposed face portion.

2. A casket handle formed entirely from thin sheet metal and having integrally joined together an ornamented face portion, a hand grip portion extending from the bottom of the face portion and comprising a lower edge of the face portion turned inwardly on a given radius, a border portion comprising a portion of the thin metal sheet turned inwardly from the face portion on a given radius, and a mounting portion comprising a portion of the thin metal sheet extending inportion formed by suitably ornamenting a definite portion of the thin metal sheet immediately adjacent the border portion, a lifting portion formed by bending the portion of the thin metal sheet immediately adjacent the face portion back upon itself on a given radius, and a mounting portion formed by further bending a portion of the thin metal sheet contiguous to one of said three portions to form a plane parallel to and spaced from the plane of the face portion.

4. A casket handle for continuously circumscribing the end and side walls of a casket, comprising a body formed entirely from thin sheet metal and having a vertical face portion adapted to be suitably ornamented by forming the metal itself into a desired design, a gripping portion formed integral with the face portion by turning a portion of the metal sheet inwardly of the face portion on a given radius, and a supporting or mounting portion forming a continuation of the gripping portion and terminating in a plane substantially parallel to that of the face portion.

5. A casket handle formed entirely from thin sheet metal and comprising a vertical face portion having its exposed surface formed into an ornamental design, a lifting portion, and a supporting or mounting portion, all of said three portions being integrally formed from a single sheet of thin metal.

6. A casket handle assembly comprising in combination, a handle member formed entirely from thin sheet metal and having an ornamented face portion integrally joined with a lifting portion and a mounting portion, the mounting portion being so formed as to space the ornamented face portion and the lifting portion from the casket surface to which the handle member is to be attached, and end brackets for attachment at each end of the handle member, each end bracket being recessed to receive the adjacent end of the handle member.

7. A casket handle assembly comprising in combination, handle members formed entirely from thin sheet metal and each having an ornamented face portion integrally joined with a lifting. portion and a mounting portion, the mounting portion being so formed as to space the ornamented face portion and the lifting portion from the casket surface to which the handle member is to be attached, and corner pieces adapted to be located at the four corners of the casket and being recessed to receive the ends of, the handle members.

8. A handle assembly for caskets, comprising in combination, a handle member having an ornamented face portion formed entirely from thin sheet metal and terminating at its bottom edge in a lifting portion and at its top edge in a border portion, means for mounting said handle member to the side or end Wall of a casket, and end brackets for mounting at and for receiving the ends of said handle member.

9. A handle assembly for lifting caskets, comprising in combination, a handle member formed from a sheet of thin metal to have an ornamented exposed face terminating at its lower edge in a rounded portion adapted to be readily gripped for lifting, means for mounting said handie member to a wall of. a casket in a manner so that the gripping portion of the handle member is spaced a predetermined distance from the casket Wall, and separate stationary members adapted to be also attached to the casket wall for providing additional support for the handle member.

10. A casket handle formed from a single rectangular sheet of thin metal and comprising, a first portion of definite Width and equal in length to the rectangular sheet and formed to present an ornamental appearance, a second portion comprising an edge of the rectangular sheet adjacent said first portion turned on a radius to form a tube-like element, a third portion comprising a section of the rectangular sheet adjacent said second portion equal in length to the rectangular sheet and turned on a given radius,- and a fourth portion comprising the remainder of the rectangular sheet contiguous to the third portion formed to establish a plane parallel to the plane of the first portion.

BEN F. JOHNSON. 

